Sealing assembly for multi-panel doors

ABSTRACT

A sealing assembly for pressing a garage door horizontally into weather stripping or a door jamb; the sealing assembly having at least one cam-stop assembly, the cam-stop assembly further having at least one cam assembly, at least one linking assembly coupling the cam-stop assembly to the cam assembly, and at least one stop brace. The garage door is sealed when a combination of cam-stop assemblies having cam assemblies—further comprising at least two triangular hinge plates and corners—couple with stop braces and rotate counter-clockwise by exertion of torque to move the garage door forward and downward to form a snug seal with the side of the door jamb and also the bottom floor.

Prior application number 17733969 is incorporated by reference, as wellas prior application number 63181248. Prior application number 17733969claims the benefit of application number 63181248.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to themanufacturing and construction industries. More particularly, thisdisclosure relates to sealing systems for doors, such as garage doors ormulti panel doors, and sealing methods which decrease air permeabilityand friction between doors and surfaces.

BACKGROUND

Certain structures and walls have openings which allow people, vehicles,animals, or other objects to pass through. To prevent undesirableobjects from entering these openings, certain types of panels such asdoors and windows are positioned within a frame constructed around theopenings. An important purpose of these panels is to provide asufficient barrier in preventing the transfer of environmental elementssuch as heat, noise, weather, water, and insects from one side of thepanel to the other. Attempts have been made to fulfill this purpose byusing various types of weather stripping between the panels and frame.For example, the weather stripping may be a strip of felt, foam, rubber,or other flexible synthetic material that provides a barrier againstexternal weather and moisture.

The prior art panels may open and close by pivoting relatively to theframe, becoming a door or window. Alternatively, the panels may sliderelative to the frame. An example of such a door is a car garage doorwhich comprises several connected panels that move vertically. Slidingpanels are advantageous for large openings because the door does notneed a lot of space to swing inward or outward in order to open.However, an issue with such doors is that as time passes, frictiondevelops between weather strips and door panels. Overtime, the increasedfriction degrades the integrity of the seal between the door and theframe causing the sealing system to be less efficient. In a swingingdoor, there may only be brief friction between the frame and panel inthe initial opening movement or the final closing movement of the door.However, in sliding doors—like car garage doors—the panels often moveupward along a vertical track before transferring to a horizontal track.To maintain a perfectly straight vertical track, the door constantlymoves along the vertical track and rubs against the weather strip. Notonly does this create problems for the weather strip, but it alsohinders the motor or user moving the door up and down.

One attempt to address this issue in the prior art is a system ofvertical tracks that are slightly angled away from the door opening(U.S. Pat. No. 8,684,065). In order to make the door fit snugly againstthe door jamb when it closes, each horizontal pair of panel hinges mustbe different from the hinges above and the hinges below. As the hingesconnect panels that are higher in placement along the track, the wheelaxle is manufactured to be further and further away from the hingepoint. The disadvantage is that the upward friction is only slightlydecreased and there is the need for many sizes of hinges to be createdfor just one door.

Another attempt to address this issue in the prior art is a system usinga clamshell module that allows doors to be kept away from the seal ofthe door jamb as they move up and down along the vertical track(PCT/CA2007/000024). While this system is an improvement on prior art,one major disadvantage is the need to use custom made hinges that arenot readily available in the market, further increasing the cost toinstall this system.

SUMMARY

Provided herein is a system that addresses deficiencies of the art withrespect to effectively creating a seal between a panel and a frame andis an improved method of allowing a door to move freely up or down alonga track and also to press securely against the door jamb when the dooris closed. A sealing assembly may be coupled to a garage door system,such as the garage door systems that are known in the art. Thecombination of the sealing assembly and the garage door system isreferred to herein as the sealing system.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, a sealing system forconnecting a panel to a frame comprises: a cam-stop assembly, at leastone cam assembly, a stop brace, and at least one linkage connectorconnecting at least one cam assembly to a cam-stop assembly. In someembodiments, a sealing assembly comprises a plurality of cam stopassemblies and a plurality of stop braces. The cam stop assembly allowsvertical movement to be converted to rotational movement forward as itengages a stop brace. This forward movement causes the door to pressfirmly against the door jamb. The system may also, in some embodiments,include a counter-tension system which allows the door to retract into aneutral position away from the door jamb when the cam stop assembly isnot engaging the stop brace.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings provided herein are not intended to be drawn to scale,instead serve to explain the principles of the invention. Each identicalor nearly identical component illustrated in various drawings isrepresented by a common numeral. It should be noted that not everycomponent may be labeled in each figure provided herein. Furthermore,the embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred, it beingunderstood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a prior art garage door assembly;

FIG. 2 depicts an angled view of some embodiments of a cam;

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of a counter-tension system;

FIG. 4 depicts two views of a linking assembly;

FIG. 5 . depicts a front view of a cam-stop assembly;

FIG. 6 . depicts a front view of a cam assembly;

FIG. 7 a . depicts a side view of a cam-stop assembly in position onebefore it engages the stop brace;

FIG. 7 b . depicts a side view of a cam-stop assembly in position two atthe beginning of when it engages the stop brace;

FIG. 7 c . depicts a side view of a cam-stop assembly in position threein middle of when it engages the stop brace;

FIG. 7 d . depicts a side view of a cam-stop assembly in position fourwhere it has fully pushed the door against the door jamb;

FIG. 8 a . depicts a side view of a sealing assembly in a closedposition;

FIG. 8 b . depicts a side view of a sealing assembly in an openedposition;

FIG. 9 . depicts an isolated view of several cam assemblies linkedtogether.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the presented concepts. Thepresented concepts may be practiced without some or all of the provideddetails. In other instances, intricacies have not been described so asto not unnecessarily obscure the described concepts. While some conceptsare illustrated in conjunction with specific embodiments, it should benoted that these embodiments are not limiting. Reference herein to “oneembodiment” or “one aspect” means that one or more structure orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect isincluded in at least one implementation. The phrase “one embodiment” or“one aspect” throughout the specification may or may not be referring tothe same embodiment or aspect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingsystem including: at least one guide track; a first stop brace; a firststop brace support removably attached to the first stop brace; a secondstop brace; a second stop brace support removably attached to the secondstop brace, wherein a distance between the first stop brace and thesecond stop brace is at least five feet; a first cam-stop assembly,further including a first cam assembly attached to a first stop, thefirst stop being removably attached to the first stop brace; and a firstdoor panel hinge, the first cam assembly being removably attached to andvertically aligned with the first cam-stop assembly via a first linkingassembly; and a second cam-stop assembly, further including a second camassembly attached to a second stop, the second stop being removablyattached to the second stop brace; and a second door panel hinge, thesecond cam assembly being removably attached to and vertically alignedwith the second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingsystem, wherein the first door panel hinge is attached to a garage doorpanel; the first cam assembly is positioned below the first cam-stopassembly; and the second cam assembly is positioned below the secondcam-stop assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingsystem, further including a third cam assembly removably attached to andvertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via a first linkingassembly; and a fourth cam assembly removably attached to and verticallyaligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingsystem, further including a fifth cam assembly removably attached to andvertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via a first linkingassembly; and a sixth cam assembly removably attached to and verticallyaligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingsystem, further including a seventh cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via a firstlinking assembly; and an eighth cam assembly removably attached to andvertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a second linkingassembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly including: at least one cam-stop assembly, each of the at leastone cam-stop assembly further including: a first cam assembly, having afirst corner, the first corner rotatably attached to a first bolt and afirst door panel hinge, the first door panel hinge having at least oneflange; a second corner, the second corner attached to a caster wheelvia a second bolt, the caster wheel rotatably attached to a first guidetrack; and a third corner, the third corner attached to a second camassembly via a first linking assembly, the second cam assembly locatedin a position relative to the first cam assembly selected from the groupconsisting of a position above the first cam assembly and a positionbelow the first cam assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly in claim 6, wherein the first cam assembly and the second camassembly are each triangular in shape, include at least three pivotpoints, and include at least two axles.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly in claim 6, wherein the first linking assembly further includesan at least one rod; an at least one spring; an at least one rope; an atleast one wire; an at least one cable; and an at least one a chain.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly, wherein the linking assembly further includes at least onefirst rod slidably disposed in a first holder of a connector; at leastone tubing; at least one spring; at least one second rod disposed in asecond holder, the second holder connected to the first holder; and anut, the nut attached to the second rod.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly in claim 9, wherein the at least one tubing is either of asquare or round shape.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly, wherein the at least one second rod is a rod selected from thegroup consisting of a compressible tension rod, a tension rod, aflexible rod, and a rigid rod.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly, wherein the at least one second rod and the nut are at leastpartially threaded.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly wherein the linking assembly further includes a tensible rod.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly, wherein the sealing assembly further includes a brace plate,the brace plate having a hole configured for attaching the spring to thelinking assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sealingassembly, wherein the brace plate is coupled with at least one camassembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method ofsealing a garage door, including: providing a sealing system including:at least one guide track; a first stop brace; a first stop brace supportremovably attached to the first stop brace; a second stop brace; asecond stop brace support removably attached to the second stop brace,wherein a distance between the first stop brace and the second stopbrace is at least five feet; a first cam-stop assembly, furtherincluding a first cam assembly attached to a first stop, the first stopbeing removably attached to the first stop brace; and a first door panelhinge, the first cam assembly being removably attached to and verticallyaligned with the first cam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly;and a second cam-stop assembly, further including a second cam assemblyattached to a second stop, the second stop being removably attached tothe second stop brace; and a second door panel hinge, the second camassembly being removably attached to and vertically aligned with thesecond cam-stop assembly via a second link

In some aspects, a sealing system comprising: at least one guide track;a first stop brace; a first stop brace support removably attached to thefirst stop brace; a second stop brace; a second stop brace supportremovably attached to the second stop brace, wherein a distance betweenthe first stop brace and the second stop brace is at least five feet; afirst cam-stop assembly, further comprising a first cam assemblyattached to a first stop, the first stop being removably attached to thefirst stop brace; and a first door panel hinge, the first cam assemblybeing removably attached to and vertically aligned with the firstcam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly; and a second cam-stopassembly, further comprising a second cam assembly attached to a secondstop, the second stop being removably attached to the second stop brace;and a second door panel hinge, the second cam assembly being removablyattached to and vertically aligned with the second cam-stop assembly viaa second linking assembly.

In some aspects the sealing system, wherein the first door panel hingeis attached to a garage door panel; the first cam assembly is positionedbelow the first cam-stop assembly; and the second cam assembly ispositioned below the second cam-stop assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a third cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and a fourth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a fifth cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and a sixth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a seventh cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and an eighth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

A sealing assembly comprising: at least one cam-stop assembly, each ofthe at least one cam-stop assembly further comprising: a first camassembly, having a first corner, the first corner rotatably attached toa first bolt and a first door panel hinge, the first door panel hingehaving at least one flange; a second corner, the second corner attachedto a caster wheel via a second bolt, the caster wheel rotatably attachedto a first guide track; and a third corner, the third corner attached toa second cam assembly via a first linking assembly, the second camassembly located in a position relative to the first cam assemblyselected from the group consisting of a position above the first camassembly and a position below the first cam assembly.

The sealing assembly wherein the first cam assembly and the second camassembly are each triangular in shape, comprise at least three pivotpoints, and comprise at least two axles.

The sealing assembly wherein the first linking assembly furthercomprises an at least one rod; an at least one spring; an at least onerope; an at least one wire; an at least one cable; and an at least one achain.

The sealing assembly wherein the linking assembly further comprises atleast one first rod slidably disposed in a first holder of a connector;at least one tubing; at least one spring; at least one second roddisposed in a second holder, the second holder connected to the firstholder; and a nut, the nut attached to the second rod.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one tubing is either of asquare or round shape.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one second rod is a rodselected from the group consisting of a compressible tension rod, atension rod, a flexible rod, and a rigid rod.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one second rod and the nut areat least partially threaded.

The sealing assembly wherein the linking assembly further comprises atensible rod.

The sealing assembly wherein the sealing assembly further comprises abrace plate, the brace plate having a hole configured for attaching thespring to the linking assembly.

The sealing assembly wherein the brace plate is coupled with at leastone cam assembly.

A method of sealing a garage door, comprising: providing a sealingsystem comprising: at least one guide track; a first stop brace; a firststop brace support removably attached to the first stop brace; a secondstop brace; a second stop brace support removably attached to the secondstop brace, wherein a distance between the first stop brace and thesecond stop brace is at least five feet; a first cam-stop assembly,further comprising a first cam assembly attached to a first stop, thefirst stop being removably attached to the first stop brace; and a firstdoor panel hinge, the first cam assembly being removably attached to andvertically aligned with the first cam-stop assembly via a first linkingassembly; and a second cam-stop assembly, further comprising a secondcam assembly attached to a second stop, the second stop being removablyattached to the second stop brace; and a second door panel hinge, thesecond cam assembly being removably attached to and vertically alignedwith the second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly;positioning at least one stop of at least one cam-stop assembly above anat least one stop brace; lowering the garage door and the at least onecam-stop assembly; frictionally and removably coupling the at least onestop of the at least one cam-stop assembly with the at least one stopbrace, the coupling further comprising attaching the at least one stopto a first corner of a hinge of the cam-stop assembly; and exerting atorque on the at least one cam-stop assembly, wherein a second cornerand a third corner of the hinge of the cam-stop assembly rotatingcounter-clockwise thereby pushing at least one door panel hinge to asurface.

The method of sealing a garage door comprising installing a weatherstrip to a garage door jamb.

A sealing system comprising: at least one guide track; a first stopbrace; a first stop brace support removably attached to the first stopbrace; a second stop brace; a second stop brace support removablyattached to the second stop brace, wherein a distance between the firststop brace and the second stop brace is at least five feet; a firstcam-stop assembly, further comprising a first cam assembly attached to afirst stop, the first stop being removably attached to the first stopbrace; and a first door panel hinge, the first cam assembly beingremovably attached to and vertically aligned with the first cam-stopassembly via a first linking assembly; and a second cam-stop assembly,further comprising a second cam assembly attached to a second stop, thesecond stop being removably attached to the second stop brace; and asecond door panel hinge, the second cam assembly being removablyattached to and vertically aligned with the second cam-stop assembly viaa second linking assembly.

The sealing system wherein the first door panel hinge is attached to agarage door panel; the first cam assembly is positioned below the firstcam-stop assembly; and the second cam assembly is positioned below thesecond cam-stop assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a third cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and a fourth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a fifth cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and a sixth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

The sealing system further comprising a seventh cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and an eighth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.

A sealing assembly comprising: at least one cam-stop assembly, each ofthe at least one cam-stop assembly further comprising: a first camassembly, having a first corner, the first corner rotatably attached toa first bolt and a first door panel hinge, the first door panel hingehaving at least one flange; a second corner, the second corner attachedto a caster wheel via a second bolt, the caster wheel rotatably attachedto a first guide track; and a third corner, the third corner attached toa second cam assembly via a first linking assembly, the second camassembly located in a position relative to the first cam assemblyselected from the group consisting of a position above the first camassembly and a position below the first cam assembly.

The sealing assembly wherein the first cam assembly and the second camassembly are each triangular in shape, comprise at least three pivotpoints, and comprise at least two axles.

The sealing assembly wherein the first linking assembly furthercomprises an at least one rod; an at least one spring; an at least onerope; an at least one wire; an at least one cable; and an at least one achain.

The sealing assembly wherein the linking assembly further comprises atleast one first rod slidably disposed in a first holder of a connector;at least one tubing; at least one spring; at least one second roddisposed in a second holder, the second holder connected to the firstholder; and a nut, the nut attached to the second rod.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one tubing is either of asquare or round shape.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one second rod is a rodselected from the group consisting of a compressible tension rod, atension rod, a flexible rod, and a rigid rod.

The sealing assembly wherein the at least one second rod and the nut areat least partially threaded.

The sealing assembly wherein the linking assembly further comprises atensible rod. Linkage between cam assemblies may be offset from the mainpanel hinge; in preferred embodiments, there may be two axle sleevesthat are offset of each other, and when the axles are offset of eachother than collapsible linkage may be used to connect cam assembly to anadjacent cam assembly.

The sealing assembly wherein the sealing assembly further comprises abrace plate, the brace plate having a hole configured for attaching thespring to the linking assembly.

The sealing assembly wherein the brace plate is coupled with at leastone cam assembly.

A method of sealing a garage door, comprising: providing a sealingsystem comprising: at least one guide track; a first stop brace; a firststop brace support removably attached to the first stop brace; a secondstop brace; a second stop brace support removably attached to the secondstop brace, wherein a distance between the first stop brace and thesecond stop brace is at least five feet; a first cam-stop assembly,further comprising a first cam assembly attached to a first stop, thefirst stop being removably attached to the first stop brace; and a firstdoor panel hinge, the first cam assembly being removably attached to andvertically aligned with the first cam-stop assembly via a first linkingassembly; and a second cam-stop assembly, further comprising a secondcam assembly attached to a second stop, the second stop being removablyattached to the second stop brace; and a second door panel hinge, thesecond cam assembly being removably attached to and vertically alignedwith the second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly;positioning at least one stop of at least one cam-stop assembly above anat least one stop brace; lowering the garage door and the at least onecam-stop assembly; frictionally and removably coupling the at least onestop of the at least one cam-stop assembly with the at least one stopbrace, the coupling further comprising attaching the at least one stopto a first corner of a hinge of the cam-stop assembly; and exerting atorque on the at least one cam-stop assembly, wherein a second cornerand a third corner of the hinge of the cam-stop assembly rotatingcounter-clockwise thereby pushing at least one door panel hinge to asurface.

The method of sealing a garage door further comprising installing aweather strip to a garage door jambing assembly; positioning at leastone stop of at least one cam-stop assembly above an at least one stopbrace; lowering the garage door and the at least one cam-stop assembly;frictionally and removably coupling the at least one stop of the atleast one cam-stop assembly with the at least one stop brace, thecoupling further including attaching the at least one stop to a firstcorner of a hinge of the cam-stop assembly; and exerting a torque on theat least one cam-stop assembly, wherein a second corner and a thirdcorner of the hinge of the cam-stop assembly rotating counter-clockwisethereby pushing at least one door panel hinge to a surface.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to disclosedmethods and further comprise, installing a weather strip to a garagedoor jamb. Multiple combinations of described aspects of the inventionsare contemplated; thus various aspects may be combined even if notexplicitly described.

Structure of Cam-Stop Assemblies

Referring to FIG. 2 , some embodiments of a cam assembly 110 a aredepicted, which are triangular, have at least three pivot points, andhave at least two axles. Cam assembly 110 a may be constructed of metalor plastic. FIG. 10 further illustrates parts of cam assembly 110 a.Referring to FIG. 3 , a first cam-stop assembly 120 may include a stop130 coupled to a first cam assembly 110 a; the first cam assembly mayinclude a first corner 112 a, a second corner 112 b, and a third corner112 c, the first corner of the first cam assembly 110 a may be rotatablycoupled, via a bolt, to a first door panel hinge 116 a that may comprisea first flange 116 a-1 and a second flange 116 a-2; the second corner112 b of the first cam assembly 110 a may be coupled, via a bolt, to acaster wheel 210 of the first cam assembly that may rotatably be coupledto the first guide rail; the third corner of the first cam assembly 110a may be coupled via a first linking assembly 600 to a second camassembly 110 b, which may be preferably located below first cam assembly110 a but may, in some embodiments, be located above first cam assembly110 a.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the first linking assembly 600 may include at leastone of a rod, a spring, a rope, a wire, a cable, and a chain. In thepreferred embodiments, a linking assembly 600 may have a rod that isslidably disposed within a first holder of a connector, adjacent andaligned in an opposite direction of the rod when disposed in the holder620 consisting of one or more combinations of the following: at leastone length of tubing (which may be square, round, or some other shape),at least one spring, at least one rod—which may be a compressibletension rod, a tension rod, a flexible rod, or a rigid rod—disposedwithin a second holder that is coupled to the first holder. Rods may bepartially or fully threaded. A nut may be threadedly coupled to the rod;the position of the nut relative to the end of the rod may be adjusted,thereby increasing, or decreasing the distance of the rod on which theholder may slide. In the preferred embodiments, the holder may slidealong the rod when the holder is disposed on the rod, between the nutand an end of the rod, which preferably is an end that is distal to thenut. An upper linking bracket 610 a may couple a first linking assemblyto a lower linking bracket 610 b of a second linking assembly; see FIGS.3, 4, and 9 . In the preferred embodiments upper linking bracket 610 aof a first linking assembly (or of any linking assembly) is not directlycoupled to a panel pivot axel 117.

Combination of Cam-Stop Assemblies

First cam-stop assembly 120 may be a cam assembly coupled to anelongated stop, which may be substantially parallel with the horizontallength of a door panel. A second cam assembly may be similar orequivalent to the first cam assembly provided that the second camassembly may be coupled to a caster wheel 210 that may be rotationallyand operably coupled to the second guide rail. Standard garage doors, asviewed from someone standing at the main entrance into the garage andfacing the garage door, generally have a left side and a right side. Thefirst cam-stop assembly 120 may be disposed along the wall that is tothe right of the garage door; the second cam-stop assembly 120 may bedisposed along the wall that is to the left of the garage door.

The first cam assembly may be similar or equivalent to the third camassembly wherein the third cam assembly may have a flange defining arecess couplable with a hook, the fifth cam assembly may have a flangedefining a recess couplable with a hook, and the seventh cam assemblymay have a flange defining a recess couplable with a hook. The secondcam assembly may be similar or equivalent to the fourth cam assemblywherein the fourth cam assembly may have a flange defining a recesscouplable with a hook, the sixth cam assembly may have a flange defininga recess couplable with a hook, and the eighth cam assembly may have aflange defining a recess couplable with a hook.

In some embodiments, the first cam assembly may be coupled via a linkingassembly 600 to a second cam assembly; second cam assembly may becoupled via a linking assembly 600 to a fourth cam assembly; the fourthcam assembly may be coupled via a linking assembly 600 to a sixth camassembly. The compressible connector may be a) a spring, b) a rod, or c)a spring or rod coupled to an upper portion of a connector and a springor rod coupled on one end to a lower portion of a connector, wherein thespring or rod coupled to the upper portion of the connector may benonparallel to the spring or rod coupled to the lower portion of theconnector, and wherein a spring or rod coupled to a lower portion of aconnector may be coupled on an opposite end to a flange bolted to anadjacent cam assembly. Stop brace support may be coupled to a supportrod that may extend along part of the height or the entire height of thedistance from the highest cam-stop assembly or cam assembly to theground.

Method of Sealing Garage Doors

Since one or more of the cam assemblies or cam-stop assemblies arefastened to a door panel hinge, then the vertical movement of the garagedoor panels, actuated by mechanisms known in the art for raising orlowering a garage door, will cause the lowering or raising of theplurality of cam assemblies or plurality of cam-stop assemblies.

To seal the garage door, the stop of the cam-stop assembly is firstpositioned above the stop brace. The garage door, and also the cam-stopassembly, is lowered. Referring to FIG. 3 , when the stop of thecam-stop assembly comes into contact with the stop brace, which in thepreferred embodiments would be a stop coupled to a corner of atriangular hinge of the cam stop assembly that projects towards theinterior portion of the garage space—and preferably the other twocorners of the cam-stop assembly are substantially parallel, at thebeginning, to the main face of the garage door. When the stop of thecam-stop assembly frictionally and detachably couples with the stopbrace, then torque is exerted on the cam-stop assembly such that theother two corners of the cam-stop assembly are rotatedcounter-clockwise, from the perspective of someone standing next to thecenter, front of the garage door and facing the first cam-stop assembly(which is aligned on the right side of the garage door), and therebynudging the door panel hinge and corresponding side of the garage doorapproximately two inches (in some preferred embodiments), which is lowerand more forward than before the stop engaged with the stop brace. Thevertical position of the stop brace may be lowered or raised; in someembodiments, the stop brace may have a threaded end, and the rotation ofthe stop brace may raise or lower the distance between the stop braceand a stop brace support, which may be threadedly coupled to the stopbrace. By nudging the door panel hinge forward and downward, theportions of the garage door may form a snug seal with the side of thedoor jamb and also the bottom floor. Weather stripping may be installedalong the jamb, and the garage door may then be pressed against theweather stripping.

When the garage door is opened by the open-closing mechanism then thecam-stop assembly will also press against the stop brace, but since thegarage door is being raised, then the torque and rotation of thecam-stop assembly will result in the upper portion of the cam-stopassembly being rotated towards the ceiling of the garage space, therebycausing the garage door to be moved backwards and upwards, which mayhave advantageously reduce the incidence of the garage door scrapingagainst the garage door jamb (or weather stripping attached to the doorjamb).

The linking assemblies, such as the tensible rod, that may be used toconnect a cam stop assembly to one or more lower cam assemblies, may actto stabilize the cam assemblies, and also allow for the cam assembliesto move in conjunction with the cam-stop assembly, such that when thecam-stop assembly is being rotated by the torque created by forcegenerated by the stop against the stop brace, then the other camassemblies aligned along the same side of the garage door move inconjunction.

Referring to FIG. 3 , spring 300 may couple a cam assembly, such as camassembly 110 a, to a connector 400, thereby stabilizing the camassembly. The connection of the linking assembly 600 via a tension rodcoupled to a rod and bracket at rotational point 500 assists with thestabilization. A brace plate 511 may be used as an adaptor, such as abrace plate having a hole, for coupling a spring to a linking assembly,such as via a holder. The brace plate 113 may be coupled to a camassembly. The castor wheel may be offset from axle of the adjacent camassembly or cam-stop assembly.

Referring to FIG. 7 c , panel pivot axle 117 may be offset from camlinkage axle 119.

Conclusion

Different embodiments and aspects of the apparatus and methods of thesealing assembly are disclosed herein that include a variety ofcomponents, features, and functionality. It should be noted that thevarious embodiments and aspects of the apparatus and methods may includeany of the components, features, and functionality of any of the otherembodiments and aspects of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein inany combination, and all such possibilities are intended to be withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the enumerateddisclosure is not intended to be limiting in any way. A person skilledin the art may come across many modifications of the disclosure setforth herein having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sealing system comprising: at least one guidetrack; a first stop brace; a first stop brace support removably attachedto the first stop brace; a second stop brace; a second stop bracesupport removably attached to the second stop brace, wherein a distancebetween the first stop brace and the second stop brace is at least fivefeet; a first cam-stop assembly, further comprising a first cam assemblyattached to a first stop, the first stop being removably attached to thefirst stop brace; and a first door panel hinge, the first cam assemblybeing removably attached to and vertically aligned with the firstcam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly; and a second cam-stopassembly, further comprising a second cam assembly attached to a secondstop, the second stop being removably attached to the second stop brace;and a second door panel hinge, the second cam assembly being removablyattached to and vertically aligned with the second cam-stop assembly viaa second linking assembly.
 2. The sealing system of claim 1, wherein thefirst door panel hinge is attached to a garage door panel; the first camassembly is positioned below the first cam-stop assembly; and the secondcam assembly is positioned below the second cam-stop assembly; wherein,the firsts linking assembly.
 3. The sealing system of claim 1, furthercomprising a third cam assembly removably attached to and verticallyaligned with a first cam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly; anda fourth cam assembly removably attached to and vertically aligned witha second cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly.
 4. The sealingsystem of claim 3, further comprising a fifth cam assembly removablyattached to and vertically aligned with a first cam-stop assembly via afirst linking assembly; and a sixth cam assembly removably attached toand vertically aligned with a second cam-stop assembly via a secondlinking assembly.
 5. The sealing system of claim 4, further comprising aseventh cam assembly removably attached to and vertically aligned with afirst cam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly; and an eighth camassembly removably attached to and vertically aligned with a secondcam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly.
 6. A sealing assemblycomprising: at least one cam-stop assembly, each of the at least onecam-stop assembly further comprising: a first cam assembly, having afirst corner, the first corner rotatably attached to a first bolt and afirst door panel hinge, the first door panel hinge having at least oneflange; a second corner, the second corner attached to a caster wheelvia a second bolt, the caster wheel rotatably attached to a first guidetrack; and a third corner, the third corner attached to a second camassembly via a first linking assembly, the second cam assembly locatedin a position relative to the first cam assembly selected from the groupconsisting of a position above the first cam assembly and a positionbelow the first cam assembly.
 7. The sealing assembly in claim 6,wherein the first cam assembly and the second cam assembly are eachtriangular in shape, comprise at least three pivot points, and compriseat least two axles.
 8. The sealing assembly in claim 6, wherein thefirst linking assembly further comprises at least one selected from thegroup consisting of a rod, a spring, a rope a wire, a cable, and achain.
 9. The sealing assembly of claim 6, wherein the linking assemblyfurther comprises at least one first rod slidably disposed in a firstholder of a connector; at least one tubing; at least one spring; atleast one second rod disposed in a second holder, the second holderconnected to the first holder; and a nut, the nut attached to the secondrod.
 10. The sealing assembly in claim 9, wherein the at least onetubing is either of a square or round shape.
 11. The sealing assembly ofclaim 9, wherein the at least one second rod is a rod selected from thegroup consisting of a compressible tension rod, a tension rod, and aflexible rod.
 12. The sealing assembly of claim 9, wherein the at leastone second rod and the nut are at least partially threaded.
 13. Thesealing assembly of claim 9 wherein the the linking assembly furthercomprises a tensible rod.
 14. The sealing assembly of claim 9, whereinthe sealing assembly further comprises a brace plate, the brace platehaving a hole configured for attaching the spring to the linkingassembly.
 15. The sealing assembly of claim 14, wherein the brace plateis coupled with at least one cam assembly.
 16. A method of sealing agarage door, comprising: providing a sealing system comprising: at leastone guide track; a first stop brace; a first stop brace supportremovably attached to the first stop brace; a second stop brace; asecond stop brace support removably attached to the second stop brace,wherein a distance between the first stop brace and the second stopbrace is at least five feet; a first cam-stop assembly, furthercomprising a first cam assembly attached to a first stop, the first stopbeing removably attached to the first stop brace; and a first door panelhinge, the first cam assembly being removably attached to and verticallyaligned with the first cam-stop assembly via a first linking assembly;and a second cam-stop assembly, further comprising a second cam assemblyattached to a second stop, the second stop being removably attached tothe second stop brace; and a second door panel hinge, the second camassembly being removably attached to and vertically aligned with thesecond cam-stop assembly via a second linking assembly; positioning atleast one stop of at least one cam-stop assembly above an at least onestop brace; lowering the garage door and the at least one cam-stopassembly; frictionally and removably coupling the at least one stop ofthe at least one cam-stop assembly with the at least one stop brace, thecoupling further comprising attaching the at least one stop to a firstcorner of a hinge of the cam-stop assembly; and exerting a torque on theat least one cam-stop assembly, wherein a second corner and a thirdcorner of the hinge of the cam-stop assembly rotating counter-clockwisethereby pushing at least one door panel hinge to a surface.
 17. Themethod of sealing a garage door in claim 13 further comprisinginstalling a weather strip to a garage door jamb.